Bandog is derived from early English and refers to a ferocious large
type of dog that was bound by a
chain until it was released at night in order to guard property. The fact that
the modern day Bandog is also large, can be ferocious, and is composed of some
Mastiff and some
Bulldog, as was the
original Bandog, is all that the Bandog of old and the modern Bandog have in
common.

Appearance

The Bandog is a large dog ranging in weight from about 100 to 150 lbs and
roughly 26 inches at the
withers.

History

In the early 1970s the late veterinarian,
John Swinford D.V.M., began a breeding program, which was ultimately to
produce the greatest of all protection dogs. Though breeders of Bandogs today
disagree on just what breeds went into Swinford's original breeding scheme, the
consensus is that it was 50 percent
American Pit Bull Terrier and 50 percent "very large dog". Unfortunately,
Swinford died at an early age and his Bandog was never perfected or recognized
as a purebred.

Current breeding

Contemporary Bandogs are bred with different types of dogs, including
American Pit Bull Terrier with either a
Mastiff,
Neapolitan Mastiff, or
Bull Mastiff.
Whichever breeding plan is employed, it is necessary to cross the American Pit
Bull Terrier to one of these Mastiffs each time that a litter of Bandogs is
desired.

The answer is that, at this stage of Bandog development, when one crosses a
Bandog to a Bandog, one does not get a Bandog. Bandogs do not breed true yet and
it seems that Bandog breeders are far from having perfected a purebred dog.

Future

The hope is that the breeding of these dogs will finally be perfected;
however, the dog is being bred by many breeders who range from the very serious
and knowledgeable to the very amateurish and inexperienced, sometimes called
backyard breeders. Therefore, a purchaser of a Bandog must do a good
deal of investigation to avoid the risk of buying a puppy that will grow to
become the last thing wanted in a pet.

Miscellaneous

Pit dog

Bandogs are occasionaly used
fighting dogs.
When a fight between a Pit Bull Terrier and a Bandog occurs, the Bandog
typically dominates the first 10 minutes of the fight as the Pit Bull is
overpowered by the much larger Bandog. If the Pit Bull remains able to continue,
it normally reverses the tables with its better endurance. Some argue that this
shows that a 45- to 50-pound Pit Bull is the ideal size for fighting. Pitbull
Neo mixes or Pitbull Tosa mixes are prefferred because thay are more able breeds
than the larger,clumsier English mastiffs.

Guard dog

The non-dogfighter who is in the market for a great family dog that will be
an intruder's nightmare can consider the Bandog.